As heat wave boils US, what is the right temperature to set AC? Cast your vote.
On the first official day of summer, as the outside temperature in Phoenix climbed to a moderate 104 degrees, my partner eyed me cautiously and broached the question he knew I was dreading.
'I think it's time to lower our AC.'
I sighed. We can't, I protested. Our utility company was already sending us warning emails that our bill would 'exceed the threshold you had set' (blame the 111- and 113-degree days that preceded this). On Friday, June 20, summer had only officially begun – though we'd been in triple digit territory for the better part of two months – and we couldn't give in now, in this economy.
Besides, our thermostat was already set to the temperature experts agree is best: 78 degrees.
Which is the correct temperature.
Is 78 too hot for a house?
As the nation grapples with a major heat wave with temperatures soaring to extremes on the East Coast, Midwest and in the Plains – coupled with something I, mercifully, don't have to contend with: humidity – I wanted to know: Am I right? (Scroll down or click here to take our poll.)
Turns out, most Arizonans agree with me. An Arizona Republic reader poll found that most people preferred 78, with 80, 77 and 76 degrees rounding out the top four. My very unofficial research in my group chats of former and current Phoenicians found the same thing – though I am immensely jealous of a friend in San Diego who 'hardly uses' it. This aligns with what the Environmental Protection Agency recommends to maximize efficiency and save money.
But outside of Arizona, answers have varied wildly. Colleagues have bravely admitted they set it at 74 and even 73 degrees. When discussing this column, my editor confessed he used to keep his AC at an icy 68 degrees. The bill would be well past $200, he said. (I didn't have the heart to admit ours was well past that now.) While all of those sound like a nice reprieve from the outside temps – and some downright frigid – none of them seem 'right' to me.
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What is the best temperature to set your AC? Vote below.
So I want to know what you do. What is the ideal temperature to set your AC to – for comfort or for energy efficiency? If you don't have AC, what methods do you use to stay cool amid record-setting heat waves like this one? Do you think we've reached the point where everyone should have AC, or can we survive without it?
Cast your vote in our poll below – and stay cool out there.
Janessa Hilliard is the director of audience for USA TODAY Opinion and Opinion at Gannett.
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